Shadows of the Night
by Ithilwen Faelivrin
Summary: During the Yule Ball, a girl is found in the snow, almost dead. How did Harry Potter's missing twin end up at Hogwarts on the verge of death after being missing for nearly 13 years? Twins! Assassins! Good Severus/Lucius/Dumbledore  Beta needed.
1. Prolouge: The Girl In The Snow

_They lied to me! Tricked me! Deceived me! They used me! Liars! Traitors! Betrayers! __**OATH-BREAKERS!**_

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><p><em><em>Harry Potter picked up the silver picture frame from the floor, he had knocked it over by accident while looking for his wand holster. It showed a happy family of four. _A beautiful woman with hair the color of rubies ad eyes the color of emeralds was cuddling with two small children on a burgundy couch while a black haired man leaned over the back of the couch. The man had warm golden-brown eyes and laughed as the small boy escaped the tickling fingers of the ruby-haired woman to try and reach his glasses._ Harry smiled sadly at the picture, it had been taken a few days before the world of the Potter family, his family, was torn apart. Lily, the woman with the bright red hair, and James Potter, the bespectacled man, were both dead at the hand of Voldemort while he, Harry, had survived. That very night, his younger twin went missing, her body hadn't been found. There was an empty bed in the girl's dormitory for her, one that would probably remain unused for much longer. _Sofia._

"I look like my Great-Aunt Muriel! I even smell like her!"

Harry was shaken out of his musing by the comment from one of his best friends. Ron Weasley was standing in front of the mirror, wearing dress robes that looked as if they were unearthed from the tomb of an ancient wizard in dire need of some fashion sense. The robes themselves were a dusty maroon (a color that Ron hated _vehemently_) with every possible corner and edge draped by lace.

"I think you smell like that troll we met in first year." Harry sat on the edge of his bed as he laughed.

"Not funny Harry, not funny." Ron attempted to glare at him through the mirror but failed and ended up laughing. "Do you remember that spell for changing clothes?" Ron asked when he was sure that he wasn't going to end up in a laughing fit.

"Yeah. No lace, _obviously_, but what color do you want?"

Harry waved his holly wand and the horrid lace disappeared.

"I dunno." He glanced at his friend's emerald green robes trimmed in black. Ron was still deep in thought, contemplating colors when his robes suddenly changed. They were a rich, mahogany brown shot through with strands of bright, ivy green. They were edged in gold and had the Weasley Crest embroidered on them. Harry had most definitely _not _had transfigured his robes. "You-when did-but-"

"Never underestimate my scheming. Think of it as a thank you for taking me to the World Cup during the summer. But you're not getting anymore gifts for ten years."

Ron couldn't help but smile, Harry was an idiot, a kind, caring, loving and generous idiot; but an idiot nonetheless. He always said that anytime he spent more than 5 Galleons on Ron or any of the other Weasleys.

"You do know that you're an honorary member of the Weasley Clan, oh! That reminds me, Mum added Hermione to the Clock."

"W-_what_?" Spluttered his adoptive brother who looked suspiciously like a fish with his gaping mouth, Ron quickly took out a camera and took a few pictures that would be used to savor this moment.

"Someone told her that you're going to the Yule Ball with Hermione."

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><p><em>Running. She had to keep running. Jump. Duck. Avoid. Run. She knew they were chasing her. They knew that she knew. She heard the soft 'twang' of an arrow be released and acted on instinct. Changing course, she ran to the South. The Phoenix on her glowed and she blocked the arrows. With an arcing motion of her hand, fire sprung up around and cut them off from her. With the smoke she disappeared. <em>_**But not for long, they would search until she was somewhere safe. Somewhere they could not touch her. But where?**_

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><p>Harry stood waiting in front of the doors to the Great Hall. All the other students were inside, except for the Champions and their dates. He smiled at Hermione, she was beautiful. His breath had disappeared when he saw coming down the stairs and he couldn't believe how lucky he was that she had said yes. This had to be one of the luckiest days of his life! He was actually happy that the Tri-Wizard Tournament was going on (Which, in his opinion, if a tournament is discontinued due to safety reasons and you re-install the tournament, shouldn't the tasks be a bit safer? And shouldn't they <em>not<em> involve retrieving an egg from a highly pissed off dragon?) for the first time since he had been chosen!

* * *

><p><em>Snow. Cold. Ice. <em>_**Pain. **__But she was safe. Somewhere she would be safe. Her eyes closed and her breaths came in ragged gasps. She knew this feeling, this smell, this touch; she had caused it to happen to too many, did she not? But she would __**NOT**__ yield. She would __**NOT **__die! Somewhere, she heard a scream and she opened her eyes. Ice. Eyes the color of wondrous ice, such eyes could not exist. She reached a hand to the face that was surely a statue, and felt warmth underneath her bloody fingers. A whisper reached her ears, "Don't go to sleep. Help is coming." Safe. Her instinct had been right. She was somewhere __**safe**__. _

_Safe? Was there any such thing as a place that was safe for __**her**__? __**Not since that Halloween. **__No. Nowhere could be safe. __**Then why did she come here?**__ She felt Magic surround her, cradle her in the air, whispering softly to her that it was alright for her to sleep, her wounds would be healed and when she woke, she would no longer be alone._

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><p>Near midnight, a scream had been heard from the direction of the gardens and a fourth-year Puff came into the Hall, crying about a girl covered in blood who was in the snow. Unsurprisingly, Madam Pompfrey was the first to follow the girl, and then Professors Dumbledore, Snape and Flitwick. When they returned, a girl was on a stretcher that floated gently through the air while Madam Pompfrey kept a swift watch on her. Everyone could see the blood, what was <em>not<em> covered in blood?

The Yule Ball was cancelled. Unsurprisingly. No one could continue making merry after having seen _that_. And for some reason, Harry sat down on the steps that led to the Great Hall, thinking about the girl that had been found. He was worried about her, he as if he _knew _her. But he didn't. Her hair had been silvery white.

* * *

><p><em>A girl was lying on the floor. Blood seeped from the wound on her neck. Dying. She was dying. The blood soaked through her dress, dying the ruffles and roses a shade of red so deep and so startling that it would forever stay present in whoever was present to see such a tint. Her black hair was splayed out and slowly, slowly it turned to a silvery white and the eyes that had been green changed to a violet flecked with red. <em>

* * *

><p>Poppy stopped in her work and turned to her colleagues. "I need your help in casting the <em>Sed<em>_mors__vicina__."_

Minerva stepped forward at the same time as Severus and Filius. She smiled smugly and spoke. "I think we have the four necessary." The teachers that were not busy strengthening the wards alongside Albus or dealing with shocked students nodded silently, remaining there so as to provide for support for the ritual about to be cast.

Severus stood to the North of the girl. Filius to the East. Minerva to the West and Poppy to the South. Together, they spoke. "Nullam a morte. Nullam a periculo. Nullam noxa. Nullam a arcu. Sed mors vicina. Donec a vicina morte. Sit in vita remanebit, puerum istum. Sic fiat!"

"This isn't possible! There are no female-"

"Yet she wears the clothing of one! Look! She is no low-ranking peon!"

She woke to the incessant chatter of people arguing as to why someone could not be something because of that someone's gender. Idiotic. Yet she saw no need to clutch at her sai, she saw no need to build up power to fight her way out. Strange. Then, she remembered the words that the Magic had spoken to her. _Ah. I'm somewhere 'safe'. _

"Where am I?"

An elderly man with incessantly twinkling eyes asked in a kind and caring voice, "Who are you child?"

"Who am I? That is equal to asking what is Life and what is Death? That is as if you asked what was the name of the night? Who am I? I don't know, not anymore at least."

That gave the twinkling old man pause, she had spoken the truth, and she saw no need to lie. But her words did not deter him.

"Then, what was the last name you responded to?"

"Alice."

* * *

><p>"<em>Your name is Alice from now on. You will have another name as well, but that will be chosen depending on your strengths and your…personality."<em>

_She nodded at him, eager to please. _

"_My name is Alice."_

"_She is strong. She may have more than one name."_

"_Yes, she is, isn't she? How thrilling."_

"_I was thinking __**Blood Rain **__for the first."_

"_It does fit her."_

"_How is this possible! She's just a child! How did those Tattoos accept her?"_

"_Are you sure? All of them?"_

"_I saw them with my own eyes. A Turtle, a Phoenix, a Tiger, and a Dragon that is all Three." _

"_Blood Rain."_

"_Night Shadow."_

"_La Mort Argeente."_

"_La Mort Vert."_

"_La Mort Vermeil."_

* * *

><p>"Well, Miss Alice, can you tell u show you came to be found on Hogwart's grounds nearly dead?"<p>

"I was running; running from the people that raised me as their own, running from the people that raised me, running from the people that betrayed me, running from the people who chased me."

"And who are these people?"

A pair of Killing Curse green eyes turned to look at the old man.

"The Assasins."

* * *

><p>Albus left the girl's mind. He had been gentle, and it was all with her permission, yet it was a harrowing and enlightening experience. All he saw at first were bodies of the dead littered in a field. People of all ages, race, gender, magical or non-magical. Humans, wizards, goblins, werewolves, vampires. All dead. Alice stood in the center of the field, watching the wind blow across the dead. He meet her emotionless eyes, so different from what he had seen from the outside, and followed her through her memories. He saw the horrors she lived through, and then he came to a library. She brought him to a table with a book that was empty.<p>

"I cannot access these memories. They are the ones of my family. My life before the Assasins."

He was able to heal a part of her broken mind and soul.

She was Sofia Potter.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: The plot bunnies were bothing me to write this. It's a one-shot for now, but I might continue it. What do you guys think?<strong>

**It's set during the Goblet of Fire on the night of the Yule. Harry has a younger twin who went missing that Halloween when Voldemort attacked. Everything pretty much follows canon except for the fact that he knows that he has younger sister who's missing. Said sister turns up nearly dead. **

**Can anyone guess who was the one to find Sofia/Alice in the snow?**


	2. Chapter 1: Alice Drachenfels

Chapter One: Alice Drachenfels

_She screamed. The pain was too much, too much for her to bear. She clutched at her temples in vain, scratching, attempting to make the pain go away. It wouldn't. It kept haunting her. _

She woke up screaming from her nightmare. Dead. Everyone was dead. Dead, dead, dead. They were all there, in her mind, shrieking nothing. They were so loud. She could hear them all and they were saying nothing. The silence was unbearable torture as it tormented her. All dead. Every room, every house, they were all there in her mind. She listened to all of them and they had nothing to say.

Her screams startled the man next to her and he attempted to calm her down. But she wouldn't. She had to get out of here. This wasn't the Castle. She knew no one here.

She reached for her sai, but they weren't there! They were missing! As were her clothes! She was merely wearing a shift! Where were her weapons! She started to gather power, when her back arched in pain and her breath came in rattling gasps. Her body _hurt._

Collapsed on the bed, shaking from the sheer pain, she heard the words coming from the man. The man had dark, black hair tied back. His face was very pale and his eyes were so dark, that she thought that they were black, but they weren't merely black, they were blue. A blue so deep and dark, that most thought of it as black.

"You're safe. We've healed most of your wounds, but you're still very weak."

_Wounds? Oh…_She realized what had happened and swore to pay back them back in kind. When she had list of her wounds and had recovered part way at least. She wasn't fool enough to take on the whole bloody Order half-dead. Speaking of being half-dead, where was she?

"W-where am I?"

She winced at the tremor in her words.

"In the Infirmary at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, my name is Professor Severus Snape."

She turned her head to face the man; it was painful, but not too painful that she wouldn't be able to understand his words.

"Hogwarts…then I'm in…Scotland, yes?"

Scotland…that was far from the Castle, she had traversed so much land in one night while evading certain torture and perhaps Death? Well, that had to be a record. She snorted. Chase would be so furious that he hadn't been able to catch her. Oh well, c'est la vie.

"Yes. Do you remember anything of last night?"

What did she remember of last night? She closed her eyes and thought back to the jumble of images and feelings that were stored in her mind. She said what was most clear to her.

"I remember running, pain and the eyes of ice."

"Eyes of ice?"

"It's nothing. What else happened?"

The blue-black eyes stared at her as she waved away that piece of information. _Eyes of ice?_

"Albus, the Headmaster-"

"The old man with the twinkling eyes?"

"Yes, the old man with the twinkling eyes."

He smiled at her interruption. It was an apt description of the old Headmaster that he could not stop the smile that leapt onto his face, oh, if Luc were to see him now…

"Was he able to...?

As she remembered what was attempted, she sat up in the bed, wincing slightly at the pain.

"Yes, he was able to find your 'lost memories'. They should return, slowly, but they'll return. Alice, how did you end up with the Assassins?"

The Killing Curse green eyes stared at him as she told him her story.

"My memory starts when I was 8. I was lying on the floor. Blood seeped from the wound on my neck. Dying. I was dying. The blood soaked through my dress, dying the ruffles and roses a shade of red so deep and so startling that it would forever stay present in whoever was present to see such a tint. My black hair was splayed out and slowly, slowly it turned to a silvery white and the my eyes that had been green changed to a violet flecked with red. The Master of Assassins appeared before me and took me away. He stopped from dying. He gave me a family. He gave me my name, _Alice Drachenfels_**. **A few days after I arrived, the Castle was attacked and I fought. That was when they decided to train me as an Assassin, the first female Assassin in centuries. When it came time for me to receive my Tattoos, the Guardian Gods chose me. A Turtle, a Tiger, a Phoenix, and three Dragons in one form. Again, I was the first to ever receive all of the Guardian Gods. I killed and I killed and I killed. By the time I was 9, I was halfway up the ranks. At 11, I reached the last rank possible. Higher even, than the Master. Then, last night, I overheard him and a few others talking. I had a **brother**, a **twin**. Most of the Magical World was **looking for me**. I had **family**. I wasn't **abandoned**, as I had thought. I hadn't been thrown away. They were going to use **me** to bring a second Age of Darkness. I listened to their plans. And then, then they saw me. I ran. I ran to somewhere I could be safe. I didn't think about it, I just listened to my instinct as I ran. And then I came here."

"I can tell you who you are."

Those impossibly green eyes that reminded him of his dear Lily turned on him with such hope that she had given him her answer. She wanted, no she _needed_ to know who she was before she became Alice Drachenfels.

"Your name is Sofia Potter."

"The lost Potter Twin? Me? Oh the irony, but it _is_ a sort of poetic justice, is it not? He, Harry Potter, the Chosen One, the epitome of the Light is my twin, I, Alice Drachenfels, the Assassin, the epitome of all that is Dark!"

Her voice was dripping with jaded negativity as she laughed hollowly.

"That poor child, Albus! That poor, poor child!"

Minerva paced back and forth in front of the fireplace, repeating the mantra of 'poor child' over and over again after Albus had informed her and the other professors of what he had seen within her memories. Albus himself sat within an armchair, his face showing sorrow at what a child so young had gone through.

"I wonder…just how we're going to inform Harry of his sister's sudden…reappearance."

"Albus, she is a Drachenfels, the whole Order is going to be looking for her. Not to mention the entire Court. We have a month at most until they pinpoint her."

Alastor Moody leaned against the wall, his magical eye spinning and spinning as he planned and planned. Albus remained silent and when Minerva was to speak yet again, there was a release of powerful magic and then the wards flared to view. Informing them that they had been strengthened and increased in number.

Alice woke up; she had the distinct feeling of being watched by someone. After Severus had left (and only after she had extracted a promise from him that he would bring a photo of her parents), Poppy had given her more of the disgusting concoctions that would help her heal. A side effect of the disgusting concoctions was that she fell asleep almost immediately. And indeed, she was being watched. Two pairs of eyes followed her as she moved in the bed. She managed to sit up and swing her legs over the edge to stand up, until she almost fell crashing down to the floor. The two boys caught her before she hurt herself any more than she had already done.

"Well, are the two of you going to just stare or are you going to help me to the windows?"

She had spouted that sentence to cover the strange feelings she received from both boys. One was dark and the other was fair. From both she felt the sensation of _family, _the dark one felt as if he were of her blood and the fair one felt as if he were of her soul. She didn't even know why, and her head was too fuzzy (not to mention that her eyesight and other senses were fuzzy as well) to ponder those thoughts. The easiest and most probable explanations were that she had run into them before, she had killed someone close to them or she knew them before she became who she was. Suddenly, she found herself in front of the wall of windows. How kind of them to actually bring her to the windows. Now she had to do something, but what? Then she thought of it, the wards! Alice studied the wards, they were impressive yes, but there was not a single ward that would deny an Assassin entry, she was proof of that. How many times had she snuck into Hogwarts? That must be remedied, _immediately_. She bit her finger and ignored the pain that came, using her blood to cement the wards and add them to the spell work that surrounded the Castle and its Grounds. Ignoring the two boys and her own body, she managed to add 13 wards before her body rebelled. They were a bit basic, but maybe she could wrangle Severus into helping her with the others. Perhaps dangling the instructions for some Assassin potions in front of him would help.

"-ello?"

"Oh, I was lost in my thoughts, what did you say?"

Alice turned to face the dark one and thanked the Gods that her voice no longer trembled. She really had to get a list of her injuries. Maybe when Poppy came back from whatever meeting she went to?

"What was that that you just did?"

"Mm, I added some wards to Hogwarts. By the way, who are you two? I'm pretty sure you two aren't hallucinations."

The dark haired one introduced himself and grimaced when he introduced the other boy.

"I'm Harry Potter and that's Draco Malfoy."

Oh dear. Severus would _not _be pleased. He, in turn, had extracted a promise that she would not seek out Harry Potter. She hadn't, per se, _broken_ that promise.

"Fate _does _hate me, doesn't she?"

Alice muttered as she extracted herself from the arms of the two boys and sat on a particularly delicious looking leather armchair. It felt as delicious as it looked. She wanted to just melt into the soft leather and drift off to sleep. But she couldn't. Fighting to keep her eyes open she examined the two boys standing in front of her.

Harry Potter. Black, messy hair and bright green. He was slender and still growing, she guessed he was at 5'5". Bursting with magical power, he would be formidable when he came into his inheritance, but there was something off. She felt something…_Dark_ coming from his forehead. Strange, very strange. It had the strong feeling of Soul Magic…storing that fact away for later, she turned to Draco Malfoy. Platinum, silky hair and silver eyes. He was slender as well and she guessed him to be at 5'8". Another powerful wizard who would grow to become even more powerful after his inheritance. Her thoughts were interrupted when the doors to the Infirmary were burst open and several Professors rushed in, including the twinkling man and a certain Potions Master.

"I haven't broken my promise Severus. _He _ came to _me_."

She spoke immediately, not wanting to be on the dangerous end of the Potion's Master rather volatile temper.

"My dear, can you perhaps explain that burst of power?"

The Headmaster dove in before the Potions Master could speak.

"I took the liberty of adding a few wards to Hogwarts. There are no wards that prevent an Assassin from sneaking in. As you, ahem, probably now know, I myself, along with some others, have snuck into Hogwarts several times. Due to my weakened state, I was only able to add 13 wards of a basic nature. I know of many more that can be implemented to protect Hogwarts from my brothers."

Alice sat up straighter as she answered, though a slight blush came across her features when she admitted infiltrating Hogwarts, though it disappeared quickly as she spoke of her brethren. A jaded look came over her face that spoke volumes of the betrayal she had gone through. Those emerald eyes were far older than 14. They closed for the merest of moments, those terrible, terrible eyes and she spoke once more.

"Healer Poppy, may I ask for a list of my wounds and as to how I was brought back from the brink of death?" Before the words fully left her mouth, several thick scrolls made their way to her lap.

"Your entire medical history." The dragon of the Infirmary towered over her and there seemed to be fire escaping her mouth and eyes. "You and I will have to have a talk soon."

Alice sighed wearily, as if she had had this battle before several times, "Yes Healer Poppy." No matter where you went, Healers would always be the same.

"Seeing as how Harry is already here, I think some introductions are in order." Dumbledore decided that it was safe enough to speak when the draconic Healer was sated. Before he could continue, however, the subject of his sentence interrupted.

"Sir, what's going on?"

Harry had been able to hold on to his curiosity, but no longer. He wanted to know why he felt that the green-eyed girl was family, why she felt so _familiar_. As well as why she no longer had white hair. He distinctly remembered that her hair had been white the night before. As well as why Malfoy had been sneaking into the Infirmary to see her.

"My dear, perhaps you will be able to give young Harry and Draco a sort of background? You are quite prepared for that. I assure you that nothing you say will be held against you." The twinkling returned full force and Dumbledore settled himself in a comfortable burgundy armchair that he had conjured. Alice sighed, a flick of her wrist sent the scrolls to the nightstand next to the bed she had woken up in, and after a quick "Get comfy" in which numerous chairs were conjured or transfigured, she began speaking.

"I am Alice Drachenfels," she ignored the shocked gasp that escaped the mask of Draco Malfoy as well as several others and continued, "a member of the Drachenfels Order. Yes, I am an Assassin. I was adopted by Glen Drachenfels when I was eight years old, and that's really where everything starts. I became the first female Assassin as well as the first to be accepted by the Guardian God Brands. Glen Drachenfels is a High Elf Prince. His domain is the Dark Elves. Elves are generally split into two categories: Dark or Light. It has nothing to do with Good and Evil. All that is dark is not evil and all that is light is not good. Keep that mind. The subcategories continue on and on. High Light Elves, Blood Elves, etcetera. Humans called us the Fae, Tuatha de Danaan, names such as those. But I wander; the Order is that, Assassins, we kill those who we are ordered to. Glen…is our Lord, the High Master of Assassins, and he betrayed me. Glen wishes to bring another Age of Darkness. I was so sure of everything; I reached the highest rank, renown throughout both the magical and non-magical world. Then I overheard Glen and some of the others earlier yesterday, they planned to use me to bring an Age of Darkness, I knew that Glen had a love for the Dark, but I never realized he would go _that _far. I found out that I had a family, people were searching for me. I hadn't been abandoned as I had been led to believe. I had a twin brother. They discovered me listening and I did the only thing I could: run. I ended up here, of all places. And discovered my true identity as well as the identity of my brother: Harry Potter."

The professors that knew Harry expected all hell to break loose, but only Dumbledore was unsurprised that Harry remained perfectly calm. Of course, his eyes did get a somewhat glazed appearance as he asked his question, "You're my sister…?"


	3. Chapter 2: Differences

Chapter 2: The differences that make us the same

"_You're my sister…?"_

She stared at her brother. He was clean while she was dirty. He was Light while she was Dark. He was the Savior while she was the Destroyer. He had smooth skin, marred only by a single scar. Her own was littered with scars, each bearing their own terrible story. Suddenly, she couldn't bear to look at him, her heart clenching in fear, fear of being rejected and betrayed once more. She turned away and dug her fingers into the fabric of her shift, twirling it until she could twirl it no more. Cotton, it was made out of cotton dyed into a light blue that was almost white. _Any bleeding would be seen immediately…_Then she was enveloped by warmth, a hold that shouted of protection and of homecoming and of happiness and acceptance.

"You're my sister."

This time, it wasn't a question but a statement; tears came down his face and mingled on hers, with hers. Slowly, the professors left, giving the twins time to re-instate their bonds and speak to each other, catch up on what had happened in the past years. It was then that a Potions Master collared a Slytherin who attempted to escape yet had failed due to the uncanny senses of his Head of House.

"Did I not tell you to wait in your dorm for your father?" Dark sapphire eyes bored into silver eyes.

"I couldn't stay away." Silver glared at dark sapphire in cold anger and veiled pain. "I _had _to see her. It _hurts_, I just…I can't..."

The dark eyes softened. "I know what you're going through; your father was the same when it happened to him."

"She's in so much _pain_, it's driving me insane…I want to help her, but I can't! She's with bloody _Potter._"

"May I remind you that she is Potter as well?"

"Not helping."

They sat together in the armchair, both small for their ages, talking for what seemed hours. It was an unspoken rule that she would not be asked of what had occurred, instead they talked about _him_. She learned everything about him and growled in anger at the mistreatment that he had suffered. She would need to pay a certain family of mortals a visit, she was sure that she would not break one of the rules. _Stay your hand from the innocent…_No, that tenet would remain unbroken; those…_monsters_ were not innocent. They could not even be mentioned in the same sentence as 'innocence'.

She knew, she knew that they had raised their hands to him and her blood screamed in anger and rage. _How dare they raise their hand to a Drachenfels! How dare they! How dare they harm one of the Noble Line! They shall pay for their foolishness! _The monster deep inside of her called for their _blood_, it called for their _torture_ and _death_. It called for _revenge. _The darkness she sheltered inside of her wanted to fight, it wanted to cause _pain_ and _agony_ and _torment_. It wanted to _destroy _all that had harmed him. She hushed the monster deep inside of her when she heard Harry begin to speak again, not wanting to miss anything he said.

"It doesn't matter though; I'm living with Padfoot now. You're going to live with us too, aren't you?"

"Could you bear to live in the same place as I?" She played with her hair, twisting it 'round and 'round, could he bear to be with her, to be with a killer?

He kissed the top of her head, and spoke his answer into her hair. "You're my sister. That's all that matters. We're a real family now Sofia."

She was now Sofia; she was who she was supposed to be. Yet she was still Alice, the same person yet different. Alice Drachenfels would forever be a part of her; she could not erase that name from her life, so she would forever be Sofia Alice Drachenfels Potter.

They stayed there, as they talked, speaking of things of no consequence and fell asleep in the same chair though the sun was still in the sky.

"_You will die and no one will hear your screams. You will be bound and betrayed and broken. You are a tool, nothing more and nothing less. You are the betrayer and the betrayed. Your hands will be stained with the blood of those who you love."_

Sofia woke up in a cold sweat from her dream, a voice had spoken to her, something cold and cruel and merciless. She knew that voice. She had heard it before, the voice that spoke _Avada Kedavra _in the dreams that haunted her_._ Moving carefully so as not to wake her brother (How wonderful it was to say the word and mean it in every way) she made as to leave the armchair for the window when tremendous pain overtook her and she fell gasping to the ground. Sheer pain coursed down her spine and continued to her legs, a single movement was pure hell. _Perfect_. Of course, Echo had gotten her several times, hadn't he? And she hadn't had enough of the antidote while she was escaping and coupled with the injuries that she had sustained, she wasn't surprised at the amount of pain that she was caused from those simple movements. She was merely too drugged to have noticed it earlier. A snort escaped her. She made herself comfortable on the floor, lying on her back so that she could stare at the ceiling. A sigh escaped her lips. Perhaps it was time to look over the scrolls that Healer Poppy had given her…

She memorized the list of injuries she had received the night before and could taste revenge on her tongue. _So much revenge to let loose, so much to return…_Could she accomplish this all before her time ended? _Yes_, a voice savagely whispered inside of her, the voice belonged to the monster, to the darkness inside of her, and she wondered if it would be so bad to let it loose on those hideous mortals as well as those who had betrayed her…no, no she couldn't. It was too dangerous. _But why? Just for a little bit, it won't even be that long…_whined the voice inside of her. She squeezed her eyes shut and covered her ears, whispering _no_ over and over until she was certain that the voice would not bother her about it anymore.

Opening her eyes, she stood up carefully. Now that she knew to expect the pain, it hadn't overtaken her. She placed one foot in front of the other carefully and continued such until she reached the cabinet where her things were. Pulling the privacy screen into place, she threw the blue shift off and examined herself. Bandages covered most of her body, but not as much as she would have thought. She began to dress, stopping only at the pants (with her dragon-hide boots) and the shirt. Sofia looked at the leather bodice and wondered if she should wear it…she tied it on at the last moment and settled her robe over her shoulders. Sofia grimaced at her robe, it was white and the design was such that she was sure few mortals would have known what it meant; much too different from the robes that were worn in the Castle. A twitch of her fingers changed the fabric to black, yet she left the shape and overall design of the robe as it was. She glanced at her sai and returned them to their world, she was fairly certain that she would be able to summon any weapon and armor needed. Someone had cleaned them of all the blood and grit that had covered her blades, she had to find out who and thank them.

Hadrian James Potter woke up in the leather armchair, he was confused for a moment as to why he was in the Infirmary, surely he hadn't gotten hurt? Brushing his bangs out of his eyes, he remembered everything that had happened. His sister was alive! Shaking the sleep out of his eyes, he glanced around for her and noticed that she was gone, as were most of her things. _Oh crap…_

Albus Dumbledore, the Bane of Grindelwald, was at a loss. He had never seen anything so cruel and heartless, Glen's plan was _flawless_, even if they used the backdoors that were provided, the plan would still be executed, though at a different time. But time didn't matter to Glen, it never did. For what was time to an Immortal? He remembered the first time he had met Glen…

_Albus was walking through the stacks of the Great Library, basking in its power and knowledge, it was while walking such that he had met him. A young man so beautiful that it was almost cruel fingered the spines of the tomes, searching for a title. Black hair like the night cascaded down his back, a mixture of straight and curls, his eyes were overflowing with power. Emeralds and amethysts combined. He had the fluid grace of the Dark and the blinding presence of the Light. His fingers paused at the title "The Tragedy of Pandora"._

"_What are you searching for, Bane of Grindelwald?" The words fell off perfectly sculpted lips with a musical lilt. His eyes never left the book in his hands, turning a page occasionally, immense power radiating from him…_

Shaking the memory from his mind, he thought back to the one who had found Sofia in the snow. Dare he hope against hope? If, and only if, there was such a bond, Glen's plan had a chance, albeit a small one, of failing. Could they look past their differences to aid Sofia and avert Glen's plan? Could the Tragedy of Pandora be prevented once more?

A knock on the door to his office broke him out of his reverie and he wearily spoke "Enter". Straightening in his seat, no longer covering his face with his hands, he clearly saw two of his favorite Snakes enter; Severus and Lucius. Oh, how much he owed them, if only he had pushed harder, if only... _Damn you Abraxas, damn you…_

"Lemon drop?" His customary greeting brought a wry grin to Severus's face, he was one of the few who could read Severus and understand him and his complexities. Severus was a private man who _despised_ outbursts of emotion due to his childhood. From his youth, he was taught that any show of emotion was _weak_ and to be looked down upon.

Lucius, on the other hand, raised an eyebrow, as if to say, "Are you still obsessed with those candies? I will never understand you, they taste horrible!" He had a childhood similar to Severus's, taught that emotions were useless and weak. Both were the perfect Pureblood Lords of their Houses, yet sometimes, sometimes he could see who they once were, before the previous Lords Snape and Malfoy had destroyed their lives and their very being…

"Tea then?"

Both inclined their heads, _that_ they would take. He called for Mint, and a house elf with eyes the color of mint wearing a dress of the same color appeared. She was one of the Headmaster's personal house elves, a Dumbledore elf and had the emblem embroidered on her dress in a darker mint thread.

"What can I do for you, Master Albus?"

"Miss Mint, would you please bring up a tray of tea?"

The little house elf nodded and disappeared in much the same manner that she had appeared.

"Now, to what do I owe this visit?"

An hour or so later, wheels and cogs were turning within the mind of one Albus Dumbledore. It made sense, the reason why young Malfoy could smell his mate within Hogwarts yet not find said mate. He wondered at the coincidence of it all when the magic of Hogwarts interrupted him and surprise filled him. The wonders of Hogwarts never ceased to amaze him.

"It seems that Hogwarts has taken it upon herself to create quarters for the subjects of our conversation."

"All three of them?" One of Severus' eyebrows lifted slightly, as it to demonstrate his disbelief and hope that it would not be two of his most troublesome students and an Assassin sharing the chambers.

"Why yes, all three of them." Dumbledore replied innocently, as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

"Hogwarts may not be left standing."

Lucius covered his smile by drinking from his teacup while Dumbledore did nothing to hide his own smile. But quickly, the smile disappeared from the Headmaster's face. There was truth in Severus' statement, a truth that perhaps the young Potions Master had yet to realize.

"Severus, there is the matter of young Sofia. I am worried as to how she will…accustom herself to life within the Castle as well as the wounds she holds within. Her life has been unnecessarily harsh. I wondered how a child of her age could have survived the life of an Assassin for so long, and she herself gave me the answer: she is a Fledging. Though I wonder if she herself knows what she has become…"

The Potions Master paled at the words of his mentor. _A Fledging? Merlin help us…_Lucius, who had been drinking tea, spluttered, drenching Dumbledore's desk with the brown liquid in a very un-Pureblooded expression of shock.

"Are you sure?"

Dumbledore nodded sagely. "The Mark is on her neck. And I am sure that the other ones are making themselves known as well. We can only be thankful that she has not Awakened yet. " Then, his electric blue eyes began to twinkle dangerously once more. "Perhaps young Draco can help her in that aspect."

The sounds of panicked running on the stone staircase outside of his office gave pause, when the door opened to show a disheveled, worried and out of breath Potter, all three men were sufficiently surprised.

"Sofia, sir, she's missing! I woke up and she wasn't in the Infirmary!"

Dumbledore only had two words for Harry.

"Oh my."

There appeared to be a woman sleeping within a large, circular room. The walls were pure white and the roof sparkled like crystal. The walls were inlaid with silver designs. She laid on a bed of silk and satin and was clothed in a dress of the pure white. A man with dark hair and purple eyes stood before her, his pained purple eyes taking her in, her porcelain skin, her ruby hair.

He reached out a hand to stroke her hair but stopped himself inches from the silken tresses, as if he had no right to caress her hair. A heartbroken sighed escaped his lips as he brought his hand back to his side, and the words that came out of his mouth were filled with emotion.

"Silly girl…I would have protected you. As well as the family you had wrought…you didn't have to do _that_."

Before he left, he placed a single white lily on her bosom. "So it begins, I merely hope that one day, you will find it within your heart to forgive me for all that I must do…" The man approached the gilded doors and after one last glance to the red-haired woman, he left.

**Author's Note:**

**In the last Author's Note, I forgot to let you guys know that Ron and Harry never had the whole falling out about Harry's name coming out of the Goblet of Fire. Ron had matured over the summer (due to the whole Sirius/Remus/Peter thing). **

**Anyone want to guess what kind of Fledging creature Sofia is? As well as who the two people unnamed people were?**

**And yeah, Severus and Lucius are **_**good. **_**Explanations will come later. **

**Severus is a pureblood (but his father was still looked down upon by the Prince family).**

**And, apparently, I'm going to have to use the horizontal lines again; I can't seem to make the spaces stick...if any of you figure out how to make them stick...let me know!**

**Last but not least...please review!**


	4. Chapter 3: Serious and not a Black

Chapter 3: You don't have to be a Black to be serious

Sofia walked through the halls of the Castle, she could feel the Magic welcoming her, tendrils of Magic trailing after her. There were few students walking the halls, most were in the snow, others, it seemed, were in their own Common Rooms, treasuring the warmth that the fires gave. Those that she did pass, did not notice her, she had wrapped Shadows around herself so that she could walk unseen and unheard. She saw them, laughing without a care in the world. Three girls in robes edged with blue wearing the symbol of a Raven ran past her, giggling and chasing each other…they looked so happy…

Shaking the girls from her mind, Sofia asked the Magic of the Castle if it could lead her to the Library. The tendrils of Magic wrapped themselves around her body and led her to a pair of great Oak doors. Pushing them open, she came upon shelves and shelves of books. Stepping away from the shadows, she ran her fingers down the spines of the beautiful tomes and was thankful that so few people were within the library. She withdrew an armful from their rightful place and found a small nook to the very back of the Library, where there was no one there. She settled down within a chair to read. Books, they were her solace…nothing could go wrong with books, you couldn't kill them by accident, they couldn't betray you…they didn't bleed, they had no heart that could be torn apart.

_She sat on the dark purple carpet that covered most of the dark floor, attempting to read the book before her as a storm raged outside. The drops of rain pattered down to the cobble streets heavily, almost like the sound of horses rushing past. They were thunderous against her windowpane and the roar of thunder and lightning added to her horrors. She had _**killed. **_She had _**ended **_a life. She was a _**killer**_. She pushed away her traitorous thoughts and kept on reading, throwing herself into the tale so that she would not have to dwell on the sensation of warm blood splattering onto her skin. The sensation of-no! She had to keep reading… _**–Pst! ****¡****Padre Restrepo! Si el cuento del infierno fuera pura mentira, nos chingamos todos…**

Unbidden, that one memory brought the others that haunted her and she remained frozen in fear and horror and pain as the scenes were played out before her. One memory brought sorrow to the deepest reaches of her heart. She _willed_ the memory to go away, but it wouldn't. It tormented her as she saw the truth it projected to her, the truth that could never be hers.

_She was crouched on the stone pillar, waiting, waiting for her prey. It was a dark night, the moon had hidden herself behind smoke and fog, not wanting, it seemed, to witness the bloodshed that would occur. The night was dark, one could barely see through the fog and darkness, but it did not affect her, for her, it was as clear as day. Tonight she would lead the Hunt against one who had betrayed the love and loyalty of a Drachenfels. The child of the Drachenfels in question had been retrieved, the _**Traitor's Payment**_ had already been enacted, but it was not enough. Dione and Mael had been broken, no, _**shattered**_. Dione had been unresponsive for a long time and it was only when her son had been saved that she had 'woken' from her stupor. Unbidden, a growl erupted from her throat as the prey approached, betrayers of their own kin! How dare he sell his own child into slavery! Did he think that the Drachenfels would have done nothing? Did he think that their loyalty would not reach that far? Loyalty to the Family was sacred, and he would pay for the crimes he committed against the Family!_

Tears fell from Sofia's eyes, it seemed that she was not worthy of such loyalty…the tome slipped from her cold fingers and she remained unseeing, trapped in her memories of happier days, of days that she did not have to worry or wonder about the love and trust of her family. The hood of her robe hid her face, but the glistening of the tears could be seen due to the light within the grand room. If one had stood there, in that specific space between the stacks and stacks of books, they would have seen an emotion so pure and so heartbreaking on the face of one that could kill mercilessly, and had done so, and that emotion was one that had not graced her features in longer than forever. She wept freely for the first time in nearly forever.

Draco Malfoy meandered in between the bookcases; his father had arrived and was speaking with the Headmaster about his…situation. He ran a hand through his blonde hair and a sigh escaped his lips. What to do, what to do…Who would have thought that his Mate would have been a Potter? He wanted to bang his head against the wall. Why should he listen to his father, his Mate was in the Castle, he should just go and-no. He had to control himself.

Briefly, he considered smacking his head into one of the cold stonewalls so that he could think clearly, but he discounted that idea. It would do no good to give himself a concussion…but on a second thought…a concussion would probably stop him from thinking about his Mate so much…Such thoughts crossed his mind when a wave of sheer unhappiness and wretchedness went through him. _Sofia_. He could feel her agony and despair as it crashed against his Occlumency walls. They pounded against his shields, like the shriek of a banshee foretelling ones horrible death, yet he followed it, like a sailor following the song of a siren, to where he found her frozen in fear (or terror or anguish, he wasn't sure which, her emotions were in such a flurry), tears streaming down her face.

The fact that Lucius Malfoy was in the Headmaster's office, as well as Snape, just registered in the mind of one Harry Potter. As well as the fact that the usually stoic Potions Master gave a shout of "I told her not to exacerbate her injuries!" and stormed away from the Headmaster's office, leaving two amused and one confused. The Headmaster chuckled and turned towards Harry, his electric blue twinkling like mad.

"Harry, I do believe you are in possession of one Marauder's Map? Would you be so kind as to allow us to utilize the Map to find your sister?"

Harry froze for a moment, how did the Headmaster know that he had the Map? How did he even _know_ the Map _existed?_ Even while he was turning over all the ways the Professor could have known, he was already digging the Map out of his pocket and whispering "I solemnly swear I'm up to no good". As the Map bled into view, he fell to his knees as a wave of pain and agony swept through him. _Sofia. _It was not unlike of how he would see and feel things from the point of view of Voldemort, yet still, it was different. What he felt from Sofia came from deep inside of him, from inside of his soul.

Draco bent down and reached a hand towards the weeping figure when his hand was batted away harshly and he fell crashing to the ground with a blade held at his throat. He could clearly see the pain and sorrow on Sofia's face as her black hood had fallen off with the act of throwing him _and _pinning him to the ground. Tearstains were evident and he felt guilty, as if _he _were the one who caused her such pain. The pain alone that she was going through gave him the strength to fight the Mating instincts that rose up due to having both of them in…such an interesting position.

"I…you…you s-startled me." Her voice shook yet the petite hand that grasped the silver blade remained sure and immovable. Sofia's emerald green eyes were filled to the brim with _pain. _Pure, _indescribable _pain. Slowly, the blade moved away from his throat and simply vanished. "You…you're the boy who was with…my brother. Draco…Malfoy?" She loosened her legs a bit, allowing him to sit up a bit, yet she did not give up her perch. Her voice trembled as she spoke. He thought she was a soprano.

"Pleased to meet you. Does everyone who startles you get pinned to the ground with a blade at their throat?" He drawled as he sat up and rubbed the back of his head.

"Not everyone. Some get _hurt_." She seemed to get herself under control, but a dark look passed over her face quickly when she mentioned some getting hurt. Her right hand contracted involuntary, clenching into a tight fist that was gradually loosened.

Shaking his head, Draco decided that it was for the best if he didn't think about what was implied. Especially with the speed and strength of how she reacted just by him _reaching_ out to her, not even _touching_ her. As well as he was trying _not _to think of how the leather she wore clung to her body. While she was sitting on top of him. The Fates had to hate him. They _had_ to.

"What are you thinking about?" He had just noticed the way she was looking at him, head tilted to one side and a contemplative look in the emeralds that were her eyes.

"I've seen these eyes before…" She reached one hand out to his face, stopping herself before she could touch him. "But where…?" They were so _familiar_. The answer was right there; right upon the edge of her mind, but it was slipping, slipping away from her grasp.

_Ice. Eyes the color of wondrous ice, such eyes could not exist. She reached a hand to the face that was surely a statue, and felt warmth underneath her bloody fingers. A whisper reached her ears, "Don't go to sleep. Help is coming."_

"Get the bloody hell away from my sister, _Malfoy_."

Once Draco heard the familiar voice from behind him, he was sure his hypothesis was absolutely correct. Yes, the Fates hated him. Never mind that it was Sofia who was on top of _him_, not the other way around, and Harry bloody Potter would _obviously _assume that he was the one who did this to Sofia, since he was just such a horrible and vicious and sex-crazed wizard. Because, of course, all he wanted to do was to get into Sofia's rather well fitting leather pants. Draco paused in the middle of his rant, _that_ was _partially _true. But he wouldn't force her. A shudder ran down his back at the _sheer_ thought of forcing someone to perform such a sacred act against their will. It was enough to make him want to vomit. Maybe he could vomit on Potter's shoes? Yes, that was a _marvelous _idea. Get on Potter's good side by emptying his stomach over his shoes. Brilliant, just plain brilliant, he told himself.

"Aren't his eyes familiar?" Sofia placed her hands on both sides of Draco's face and moved him so that Harry could look at Draco's eyes upside down. She noticed the appearance of the Headmaster and spoke to him as well. "Lord Headmaster, where have I seen his eyes? They are so _familiar_." She was pleading, begging for them to tell her where she had seen such eyes, she didn't know why it was so important for her to know, it _just_ was.

"Of course I'll answer your question, Miss Sofia, but perhaps you should let go of young Malfoy's face? It seems to be remarkably uncomfortable. And perhaps we should switch locations, Madam Pince may be quite upset with all the chaos we've caused." Dumbledore chuckled, ah, the antics of youth.

Sofia did let go of Draco's face. He hadn't been expecting it to be so suddenly and managed to hit his head against the stone floor. Again. It seemed his earlier wish of gaining a concussion was coming true.

When they were all settled in the Headmaster's Office, and after Snape had lectured Sofia on being "As idiotic as your brainless Gryffindor brother and having not even an ounce of common sense! Did Madam Pomfrey and I not explicitly warn you not to leave the Infirmary? The _Sedmorsvicina _only stopped you from _dying! _Your body will take weeks, if not months to heal! It does not matter if you are a Drachenfels or not!" He hissed out when Sofia was about to speak, most likely to say something as if she would heal faster or would not need to remain considered an invalid for so much longer. "I extracted those poisons and it was only the extensive Prince knowledge that saved you! I recognized the _Red Water, _you hadn't taken any antidote for it, even with the _Sedmorsvicina_, IT. WOULD. HAVE. KILLED. YOU." He went on, describing the numerous efforts made to keep her from Death, he did, though, tone it down. He saved all the brilliant _gory _details for later. It made Sofia remain silent and acquiesce with the immediate requests made of her to _not_ wander around alone, to remain a willing patient.

What the Potions Master had not mentioned was the _if_. If she would survive the horrors that were to come.

For nearly an hour while he, strangely enough, fussed about her, making sure that she did not so much as move from the criminally soft armchair that the Headmaster had conjured for her as well as a warm blanket in the color of silver and embroidered with emerald, slithering snakes, she was made aware of the situation. Sofia was then introduced to the Lord Lucius Malfoy while her brother remained standing behind the soft armchair, presenting a perfect impression of a wary guard dog that would attack at the merest signal. Even though the Headmaster was present, he didn't trust the other three who were in the room. As it was, none of them missed the slight stiffening of her body when the Lord Malfoy was introduced.

"Lord Headmaster, may I ask what is the reason that our conversation could not continue in the Library and instead, in the _safety _of your office?"

Albus smiled at her and leaned on his desk.

"Frankly, your reappearance. Most have considered you dead and you would be a great prize for any sympathizer of Voldemort's." The customary flinches followed, yet Sofia did not flinch, instead, hatred and disgust glimmered in her eyes at the name. "And then there is the consideration that you are a Drachenfels, an _extraordinary _one at that, if there was ever such a thing as an ordinary _Drachenfels._ Various and sundry other matters are to be discussed as well, but first, I wish to formerly invite you to attend Hogwarts. Also, we must arrange a trip to Diagon Alley for you since Ollivander wishes to meet you."

"Thank you, Lord Headmaster, for making this opportunity available to me." Sofia bowed her head deeply; her voice was soft and thrummed with happiness and hope. A wand!

"It is my pleasure. And now, you are most likely wondering why I found it necessary to introduce Lucius to you and why he and his son are a part of this, rather, exclusive conversation."

"If memory serves me, does the Malfoy line not carry the blood of Veelas?" Sofia interrupted the Headmaster, her head titled to one side. She hadn't realized why that one fact had bubbled out of her subconscious, and it hadn't surprised her brother, a mumbled "I knew it!" came from behind her. Maybe it was the fact that both blondes smelled familiar, the same smell of the Old Magics…at that thought, she perked up once again. _Old Magic…_

"Why, yes indeed. Young Draco has found his Mate." The blue eyes twinkled and twinkled with all their might as their owner imparted those words that would forever change all that was once meant to be.

"You cannot be serious!" Exclaimed Sofia, she shook her head as she unwrapped the meanings in his words and she heard the sharp intake of breath from behind her. Harry had caught the meaning as well.

"No, no I am not a Black. But you need not be a Black to be serious."

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong>

**( **–Pst! ****¡****Padre Restrepo! Si el cuento del infierno fuera pura mentira, nos chingamos todos…) Is a line from _Casa de Los Espritus. _It translates as, roughly, : Pst! Father Restrepo! If the tale of Hell was simply a lie, we're *expletive*****

**As for Sofia' _fledging _status, she's not a vampire per se. She can survive on blood. But she's not a vampire. :)**

**Please comment and review!**


	5. Chapter 4: A Wand

Chapter 4: A Wand

Draco was counting slowly in Ancient Greek so as to not let loose the Veela within that was raging. After all, he didn't want to rip his Godfather into pieces. _Did _he?_ Yes_, yes he did! _He _should be the one who was tucking her into the chair and taking care of her! _Not Severus!_ A warning glance from his father cut his glaring short. He had a feeling that _he _would be the one ripped apart if he so much as _scratched _his Godfather. _Ah….control…_

While the Headmaster droned on and on, he zoned out, concentrating on the emotions emanating from his Mate. Hatred, fear, agony, doubt and hope swirled around her in a tormenting mixture. The emotion of hope was the most interesting of all; it felt as if she were praying that this was all a dream, something fake, a lie. She doubted herself and everything that was being said and had been said. Fear, she feared the future, what was to come. Agony was the most obvious emotion of all; he could feel every inch of her on fire due to the sheer _pain _she was going through. It reminded him of what he felt that night…

_He felt stifled at the Ball and the gardens were calling to him. _Something _was tugging on his senses, _something _was telling him to go out there. It felt like the Veela Bond, warning him that his Mate was in danger. The emotions flew through the connection like an arrow in the wind. Pain. Pure and simple. That was how he found her, in the snow and covered in blood. That was how he first saw her. White curls cascaded from her head and were stained in blood. Her soft, full lips were stained by blood. She had high cheekbones that were stained with blood. There was so much blood. So much blood...Even her amethyst eyes were stained with blood…_

_She reached out a hand to his cheek and he spoke. _"Don't go to sleep. Help is coming_._" _Her hand left stains of blood as it fell, he grasped it and her body was cold. He could feel the life leaving her body and even though he had not completed the Bond, he felt as if he were _dying _as well. _

_His Magic reacted and cradled her body in warmth and safety. It sung to her, whispering that it was all right for her to close her tired eyes, her wounds would be healed, and when she woke, she would no longer be alone. Flesh and bone began to be sewn back together. That was when he heard the scream and the Professors arrived. She was taken away. _

_His Godfather stopped him from storming the Infirmary. Oh how he had _wanted _to, _needed _to. Severus had had the foresight to slip him a sleeping potion so that his Veela half would not lose control. Even asleep, he could feel her pain and fears, so he reached out to her sleeping self and cradled her with his Magic, to let her know that she was safe and that she was protected. _

Draco snapped to when he heard her laugh, such a beautiful yet cruel laugh.

"Very well Lord Headmaster, I cannot _**refuse**_." She had laughed a mirthless laugh and closed her beautiful, jewel eyes. "But first, I will speak privately with you." Her tone brooked no disagreement.

"Very well my dear."

A barely noticeable wave of Dumbledore's wand enclosed himself and Sofia within a barrier that prevented the others from hearing their conversation.

Emotions flitted across Sofia's face faster than the wind and Draco wondered why rage was the most evident among them. Her lips moved angrily and he guessed that she was yelling. _Why _she was yelling was beyond any of his ideas. She was happy just a moment ago.

A shadow fell across his face and he looked up to the impassive face of one Harry Potter.

"You're a Veela."

"…I am."

"I suppose a truce is called for."

Draco wondered at the way that Harry Potter didn't kick up a fuss at his sister being the Mate of a Malfoy. Especially since the Malfoy in question was named Draco.

A slight disturbance of magic interrupted the two as they agreed to the truce and an irate Sofia passed them by as she spoke, her voice tightly controlled.

"Where is the quarantine going to take place?"

"The what?"

Both Harry and Draco spoke at the same time, the ice in her voice having startled them. Her eyes darted between them and the adults as understanding dawned in her eyes. She threw her head back and laughed once more.

"They haven't told you!" Harsh amusement and sadness flitted across her features. Though, honestly, she could not say that she wasn't surprised, why would they have told them?

"Told us what?"

Draco stood up, as if to move closer to her when she hissed "This" at them and harshly shoved the sleeve of her right arm up. Black tendrils were covering her arm and it _moved_ as it kept enlarging. As if it had a mind of its own. A sickening presence emanated from it, as if it were darkness incarnate.

Fear made its place in the stomach of the two teenaged wizards as the Black Magic that reeked from the _thing _on Sofia's arm brushed at their own Magic maliciously.

"What is that?"

Harry had fallen to one knee and clutched at his temple as he felt chilling frost emanate from his sister and the plain _wrongness _that came from the _thing _on her arm.

"It's something called _The Waking Nightmare_. Have your _trusted_ Headmaster explain what it is to you." Hate and anger leaked from Sofia and she glared at all.

Before any could speak to defuse the situation, the Floo roared to life and Dumbledore sighed, Gryffindors truly had horrible timing.

"Where's my pup!"

_Ah yes, Gryffindors truly had the worst timing. Or perhaps it was only Sirius…._

Which was how six heavily disguised wizards and one witch found themselves dusting themselves off from the soot of traveling through the Floo in the front room of Ollivander's. It had been a slightly stressful reunion, yet, Sofia had accepted her Godfathers.

"Ah. Hello Miss Sofia, I thought you would return sooner or later."

_Ollivander opened the door to his study to see a young girl with hair of ebony and eyes of emerald placing a wand on his desk. _

"_Hello child, last I remember, that wand had disappeared from my shop years ago."_

_She inclined her head and spoke. _

"_It was stolen from you, by one who did not deserve it."_

"_Yes, I will see you in a few years, when _that _wand is ready for you and when you yourself are ready."_

_Startled, she raised wide, wide eyes to him in shock and disappeared after bowing to him._

"Yes, I do believe that the wand is finished."

Six pairs of eyes widened in surprise at the fact that Ollivander already knew which wand would fit her and that she had been in his shop once before.

"You knew, you knew that all of this would happen." Sofia's words came out softly as Ollivander placed a case of carved wood on the counter in front of them.

"I suppose that I had an inkling of what might have come to pass."

"Still, you knew, you could have warned me!"

"And what of it child? Would you have tried to stop what had been laid in place for far longer than even the birth of Albus?" Ollivander lifted her chin up so that silver and emerald met.

"I…yes."

Ollivander let go of her chin and her eyes fell to the ground, ashamed at her own outburst. He opened the case and within laid a wand. But it wasn't just any wand. The wand was a color deeper and richer than black, with all the texture and the brilliance of the night. From the tip, intricate veins of pure light traveled down to the handle of the wand.

"Why don't you try this wand?"

Her fingers reached out and brushed the magical artifact uncertainly, tracing the silvery lines.

"Mithril." The word came out breathlessly, as if it had shocked her, it was almost passionate, the way it came out.

"Yes my dear, this wand is made from mithril and wood from Yrggdrasil. Its core is made of the Blood of a Phoenix and the Blood of a Shade. Nearly my whole life was spent working on that wand. It will be a fine companion for you."

When she grasped the wand in her hand, a flood of golden light escaped from the tip and bathed each one of them in its radiance. The light faded and she lowered the point of the wand, chest heaving.

"Is this…is this what having a wand feels like?" Her voice came out breathless, as if she had been running and running. Her human, mortal magic was singing out of joy and she could barely restrain herself, so giddy that she was. Father would scold her, for being so open and careless with her emotions, but it didn't matter, nothing mattered at that moment except for that glorious sensation. She had never really bothered with her mortal magic, but now that she had her fingers around the wand, it was pure bliss. Her beautiful features were lit up, making them seem less cold and so much more the warmer, as if she were a living being instead of a marble statue, it made her angelic. A laugh bubbled out of her. Silver bells, which was what it sounded like. Then, as soon as the light had come into her, it faded away, leaving a marble statue in its place. A slight glow about her and the pink left in her cheeks were the only hints as to what had happened beforehand.

_Well, the chances of whether or not this goes in the way I want it to even a little bit are slim. They were, straight from the beginning…Anyway, judging from the way she responded…I doubt it'll go smoothly…If the boy isn't just as great….There's no way….To make her fall…After all, she's a girl…who rejects and denies love with all her might…A very difficult one, a last boss, so to speak._ A man so beautiful that it hurt to look at him sat upon a gilded throne of darkness, scrutinizing what had happened to his little precious one through a silver mirror. He sighed at all that had happened and wondered if he would ever be forgiven. Though, knowing his dear one, she would hiss and hate him for several years while still remaining loyal to him. She would hate and love him. As always. If she had a fault, that would be it. Her loyalty would be her downfall one day, once she trusted one, she trusted indiscriminately, and if one had her absolute loyalty…they could rip apart her very being, destroy her and still she would faithfully remain by their side. Great harm had once come to her because of him, such despair and agony, yet…she did not blame him…


	6. Chapter 5: One Month to Agree

Chapter 5: One Month to Agree

When Albus had led the odd group to the quarters that the Castle had created for them, he had followed the little she-elf into her room and watched her reactions as she explored a room she thought she would have never seen again. Perhaps he had overdone it, but he hadn't been able to help himself when it came to her comfort. She was so young and had already been broken so much. Perhaps he was trying to right what he had wronged with her brother when it came to her, but could any blame him? He had thought that the young boy would be safe with the Dursleys, that they would care and love him as a child should be. But little Harry hadn't been loved or cared for. What he was thankful for was that Harry came out stronger than steel and diamond alike…like gold purified by fire…

Yet…he had thought little Sofia dead, her body turned to ash by the fire that had raged in the Potter's destroyed house…he would never have thought that the youngest Potter had been taken to the elven realm. Never in his wildest dreams would he have dreamt up this possibility, of her being alive. Nor even would he have dreamt that she would have been raised in the world of blood and death.

Sofia felt as if she would break down in tears. The Headmaster (the kind, loving fool that her Lord had described him as) had rebuilt her bedroom as he had seen it in her mind, every last little knickknack was there. Everything was there, her favored books and the dolls that had been given to her on her birthdays. Even the unmoving Portrait of her Mother hidden behind a crimson curtain was there. When she had first seen the curtain with the golden cord, she had fallen to her knees and it was as if she couldn't breathe, it was then that the entirety of the situation had closed in on her. She had been abandoned by her beloved Lord and people in the world of Man. This was her home now. There was no going back to the world she had been raised in. If she returned to her brethren, only death awaited her, a death that would bring an unending age of darkness.

"Is the room to your liking?" Dumbledore's soft question broke her out of her reverie.

"Yes…thank you, my Lord Headmaster." She bent at the waist and bowed as was proper, blinking back the tears that burned her eyes.

"There is no need to call me 'Lord', Headmaster or Professor will be just fine." An aged hand lifted her chin up so that her face was visible once more. Every time she was so formal and cold, pain lanced through his heart to see her so.

"Of course…" Again, she diverted her gaze from the all-knowing blue gaze of the Light Lord. A feeling of shame and despair had overcome her. There was no way that she was worthy of all that the Headmaster had bestowed upon her. She was merely a misplaced being, there was no reason to tend to her needs and fill her room with pretty things. "But…Headmaster…this is too-"

"I will not hear of it, child. Now go and change, it will do you good to get out of those clothes. We have a little time before you need to retire to the warded room."

Albus left her in the pretty room, as she stood in the center of it, unsure of what to do. He knew that she would do as he had told her, yet it did not stop a sigh from leaving him. She was a perfect little soldier. How his heart ached to see her so. When he entered the sitting room, it was to the sight of six wizards glaring at each other. There was much to do, yet it seemed that the strange little truce that young Harry had called was breaking.

He needed a lemon drop.

It was to such a scene that Sofia emerged too. Her assassin robes had been changed for one of the many dresses hanging in the closet within her new room. Soft blue fabric came to her knees and a sweetheart bodice that modestly showed off her developing décolletage. Not a noise was made on the carpeted floor by her bare feet as she made her way to stand before the wizards that were part of her past and her future. Black curls tumbled down on either of her shoulders as she took a deep breath, steeling herself for what she was about to say.

"I will not bond with you, young Veela. I am not your mate. You are merely confused."

"Why not?" Panic flashed across quicksilver eyes as Draco trembled in the armchair he had commandeered. Her words, cool and calm though they were, slashed through heart and left tatters in its wake.

"Elves and Veela do not mix. A Veela has never had an Elf for a Mate and an Elf has never had a Veela for a Mate. It has never happened and never will! And furthermore, I will not be chained once more! You should have left me alone! All of this, you are to blame! I hate you!" She backed away quietly, a bit shocked at her own outburst, towards the black door that led to, what it felt like, her doom.

Sofia sat in the center of the empty, warded room. A ward set in place by the Headmaster himself separated her from the door, and coincidently, the seven wizards who were to be present for her ordeal. She wasn't particularly happy about it, nor was the Headmaster, but they had a right to know what they were harboring, what _she _was harboring. Even so, she wondered why the hurt within the quicksilver eyes of the Malfoy boy caused guilt to eat ate her heart.

_Yessss…Come, come, let us out….we will not harm your little wizards, so come my dear, come and let us out, we will protect you from the Nightmare. Dearest, let us out… _

Energy sizzled on her skin as the creature that slept inside of her and lent her power awoke and took hold of her body. Ebony hair lightened to silvery white as emerald hued eyes gave way to crimson violet. The wounds inflicted upon her by her brethren remained, some even worsened and opened as black markings slid onto her pale skin in a fanciful, morbid design. It was as if one had taken a brush to her flesh and had written in an enraged, Oriental tongue. In her hair, the two braids she bore on either side of her head retained their original inky color. That was all that remained of Sofia. This, this was something else.

Feline crimson eyes studied the wizards behind the ward. "Well, well, well, was a fine mess she's gotten into." The Sofia-but-not-Sofia gracelessly sat on the floor and laughed. "Now, you will tell me what you wish to do with her. Refresh my memory." She, _it_, imperiously ordered from where she lounged like a large cat bathing in sunlight.

"Who are you?" Harry was the only one who spoke, having shaken himself out of his shock and surprise while the Headmaster looked on in guilt and sadness.

"Me? You may call me Mikhail or, for the sake of convenience, Alyss." Alyss, or Mikhail, whichever name truly belonged to it, raked a hand through Sofia's lightened curls haphazardly and yawned, revealing a pair of elongated canines. "_What _I am, is an entirely different subject. Be assured that at this moment I mean you no harm. I am merely present so that she needn't suffer any more. So, what is this about her being a Veela's Mate?"

When all had been explained in short order by Albus Dumbledore, she burst out laughing. A dainty hand brushed away tears of laughter from her crimson eyes as the other hand clutched her stomach in a futile attempt to control her laughter.

"Oh, _oh_ this is _truly _magnificent! You, Draco, your name was, you have a month to Court my vessel and convince her to Mate with you! Good luck, I'm sure you'll need it!" A large, Cheshire grin crossed her face while poison seemed to fizzle in one of the wounds on her legs. The grin turned into a frown as she pressed down hard on the opening wound. "Damn. I forgot all about this." A sizzling sound was heard by the spectators and they realized that the wound was being cauterized due to the smoke that was rising in between her fingers. "Ah…much better." She lifted her trembling hand in relief from the wound and glared at the black that marred the tips of her fingers.

"Mikhail, I believe you said your name was, how is it that Sofia is…your vessel?" Severus Snape watched the changed Sofia with careful eyes, he had his theories as to what the creature was, but he had to be certain. He had to hope that the _thing _wouldn't harm her.

He was rewarded with a bright, wide grin and a cheerful answer. "You don't have to worry. I dearly love the little minx, after all, she is a top rate, beautiful vessel. I protect her to the best of my ability, but I'm afraid she doesn't like to let me out all that often and take over. She _is _a bit naïve about people's personalities, far too apt to believe that everyone is generally good and far too loyal for her own good. As well as foolishly brave, oh the number of times I've had to save her because she dove in without a plan, they're far too many to count! And, well, we've always been together, well, for her lifetime, I think. I'm not too sure! Now, since I have the Waking Nightmare fairly under control, I think I'm going to pass out!"

Once Sofia was carefully ensconced within her room and wrapped within countless covers, the wizards retreated to the sitting room, where, they promptly began glaring at one other.

"Oh for Merlin's sake! Sirius, stop glaring at Severus! Harry, stop glaring at Draco. And Lucius, stop glaring at everyone!" Remus was the first one to snap while Albus was calmly popping lemon drop after lemon drop into his mouth while he perused a rather thick book.

"Wha-but Moony! He's-" Of course, Sirius took affront at his best friend's words and tried to come up with an excuse that would, in his mind, stop everything that was happening and stop Moony from smacking the back of his head with a book that he was certain was _bound _to happen. It always did.

"Sirius, you're honestly going there? Veela can't chose their Mates and you very well know that, as well as the fact that those two were spies for the Order since the very beginning! Harry, I know this is hard, but so much is on the line here, so please, can you accept this?" From his seat, Albus watched as his bookish Lion took control of what was happening. He knew that many thought that Remus wasn't all that brave and was merely a follower, but that couldn't be farther from the truth. Young Remus was an Alpha through and through. In fact, it seemed that all of his students within this room were Alphas, they were all leaders and oh so brave. He was proud of them. Perhaps things would work out after all.

Hours later found Draco sitting next to a sleeping Sofia, none of them had wanted to leave her alone while she slept and took turns standing guard next to her bed. He spent the time wondering about her and how he would go about courting her. He dearly hoped that she would accept. He would accept no other. Magic deemed it be her who would be his Mate, the other half to his soul. Anything he would do to keep her happy and always smiling, anything to get to know her and love her. Anything.

"Don't go." A small voice caught him before he could leave; her bright green eyes glittered as he sat back down in the chair next to her bed.

"You should be sleeping." Before he could hold himself back, he reached out to the hand that was tangled in her once again ebony curls. Strangely enough, she did nothing to stop him. Gently, he untangled it from her hair and held it in one of his. He marveled at how small her hand was and how delicate it appeared. To think that this was the hand of an Assassin.

"No," she shook her head and closed her eyes, "it's worse when I sleep. I'm sorry about what I said. It's not your fault."

"You don't have to apologize." He stroked her palm and traced the calluses on the tips of her fingers and in the palm of her hand. He understood, truly, he did, though when she had first spoken those words, ice had begun to seep into his heart and soul at the fear of her rejection.

"Draco?"

"Yes?" He looked up from where he was tracing the lines in her palm and was startled by the sheer emotion visible in her eyes. Pain. Fear. Regret. Acceptance.

"I'm cold. Please, hold me." Her strange, simple request startled him, but he complied; crawling into the great bed, he gathered her in his arms and comforted her silently as she wept. It was devastating to see someone so strong crumble into so many tiny pieces, just like when he had seen her in the library…but the difference now was that she was allowing him to see her tears, that, in itself, was a small victory for his courtship of her. "Mikhail…told me that he gave you one month for the courtship."

Sofia's voice startled Draco, he had thought that she had fallen asleep after she had cried. "Yes. That was what-wait, it's a _he_?"

A mirthless laugh fell from her lips and she brought a hand to her mouth to cover it. "Yes. Mikhail is a male. You have one month to convince me to _agree_ to your courtship."

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong>

**Sorry for the late update. Harry wanted to AK Draco. **

**So, what do you guys think?**


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